Celebrity

New Jersey Stars Shine Bright as Oscars 2026 Race Heats Up

From record-breaking nominations to homegrown talent in the spotlight, the Garden State’s imprint on Hollywood’s biggest night has never been more vibrant.

Published

3 months ago

February 17, 2026

Editor-in-Chief

From record-breaking nominations to homegrown talent in the spotlight, the Garden State’s imprint on Hollywood’s biggest night has never been more vibrant.

As the countdown to the 98th Academy Awards accelerates toward March 15, 2026, the Oscars race is already ablaze with compelling stories, historic achievements, and deep ties to New Jersey’s rich entertainment legacy. This year’s nominees were revealed on January 22, 2026, and one film in particular has seized headlines, while multiple New Jersey natives and locally filmed productions have cemented the state’s presence on cinema’s grandest stage.

A Record-Breaking Year:

Sinners Dominates

The horror-drama Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, made Oscar history by earning 16 Academy Award nominations — the most for any film in Academy history, surpassing classics like Titanic and La La Land.

The nominations span all major categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay, firmly establishing Sinners as the film of the season. Its lead star, Michael B. Jordan, hailed as one of Hollywood’s most compelling actors, earned his first ever Best Actor nomination for his dual performance in the film, propelling him and his work into awards-season superstardom.

Industry buzz has only grown louder, with influential figures like Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige championing Sinners as a worthy Best Picture favorite, a rare and remarkable endorsement that underscores how widely the film has resonated within Hollywood.

New Jersey Connections at the Oscars

While Sinners garners global acclaim, New Jersey has its own constellation of Oscar hopefuls. According to local reporting, several nominees boast strong Garden State roots:

Ethan Hawke, a West Windsor native, received a Best Actor nomination for his role in Blue Moon, a biographical drama that also nominated fellow New Jersey resident Robert Kaplow for Best Original Screenplay.
Two films with deep New Jersey production ties, Marty Supreme and Song Sung Blue, cumulatively earned 10 Oscar nominations, showcasing the state as a filming location of choice in 2025.
- Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet, landed major nominations across categories including Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
- Song Sung Blue, shot around Monmouth County, NJ, received a Best Actress nod, spotlighting the real-life musical narrative rooted in Neil Diamond’s legacy.

This remarkable slate of nominations reflects not only individual talent but also New Jersey’s evolution as a film production hub, thanks to state incentives, diverse locations, and a thriving local crew community.

🌍 Beyond the Garden State: A Global Awards Atmosphere

While New Jersey’s presence is significant, the Oscars stage also features a captivating array of global cinema. Ten films made the cut for Best Picture, a competitive field that blends blockbuster spectacle with poignant storytelling. Alongside Sinners, contenders include One Battle After Another, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Frankenstein, and more, each commanding critical acclaim and awards buzz.

In the acting categories, nominees range from beloved veterans like Leonardo DiCaprio and Emma Stone to breakout contenders such as Teyana Taylor and Rose Byrne, building a diverse mix of performances that have captivated audiences and critics alike.

The Oscars on the Horizon

As the awards season unfolds, with Critics’ Choice, Guild, and other precursor ceremonies already contributing to momentum, the anticipation for March 15, 2026 continues to build. Hosted once again by Conan O’Brien, this Oscars ceremony promises not only unforgettable moments but a celebration of cinematic achievements that reflect the industry’s creative evolution.

For fans in New Jersey and beyond, the 98th Academy Awards represent more than Hollywood’s biggest night. They are a reminder of how local stories, talent, and filmmaking energy are woven into the fabric of global culture, from Garden State roots to golden statuette dreams.

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Editor-in-Chief

Evan Blaze is a Jersey Shore based editor and writer focused on coastal culture, local arts, and the evolving character of communities along the New Jersey coastline. With a background shaped by years spent around the water and small creative circles along the shore, he brings a grounded perspective to stories about music, independent film, neighborhood businesses, and the people who keep local culture alive. Known for balancing a laid-back coastal sensibility with a sharp editorial eye, Evan works to highlight authentic voices and emerging talent across the region. His work often explores the intersection of surf culture, live music, and the everyday rhythm of shore towns, capturing the energy that defines life along the Atlantic. When he’s not editing stories or working with contributors, he can usually be found near the water, checking the surf, walking the boardwalk at sunrise, or tracking down the next local story worth telling.

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Celebrity

Opinion: Why Whoopi Goldberg Was Removed from the NJ Fame Wall

Published

1 month ago

April 7, 2026

Editorial Director

There are certain names in American culture that carry undeniable weight. Whoopi Goldberg is one of them. Her career spans decades, her accomplishments are historic, and her place in entertainment history is secure. That was never in question.

What is in question is something more specific: identity, origin, and what it really means to represent New Jersey.
— a member of the Board of Trustees

The NJ Fame Wall was created with a clear purpose, to recognize individuals whose story is rooted in this state. Not those who passed through it. Not those who later chose to live here. But those whose formative years, cultural identity, and rise are directly tied to New Jersey itself.

That distinction matters.

After a formal review under the Jersey Review Celebrity Smell Test (JRCST), a member of the Board of Trustees pointed out something simple but critical: Whoopi Goldberg does not meet the first requirement for inclusion. She was not born here. She was not raised here. Her early life, her development, and her breakthrough all took place in New York City.

That’s her story, and it deserves to be respected as it is.

Yes, she has been a longtime resident of West Orange. And New Jersey has always been a place that welcomes people who choose to build a life here. But residency is not the same as representation. A home address doesn’t redefine where someone comes from, and it doesn’t place them within the cultural foundation the Fame Wall is meant to preserve.

This isn’t about exclusion, it’s about clarity.

New Jersey’s identity, especially in its Shore towns and long-standing communities, is built on generations of families, shared traditions, and a very real cultural backbone. The Fame Wall reflects that. It’s meant to highlight people who were shaped by that environment—people who carry it with them in their work and their story.

Once that line starts to blur, even for someone as accomplished as Goldberg—the purpose of the platform starts to fade.

And that’s why the standards matter.

The JRCST isn’t just a guideline, it’s a guardrail. It keeps recognition grounded in something real, not just fame. Because once exceptions are made, especially for major names, it becomes harder to say no the next time. And eventually, the wall stops meaning what it was built to represent.

This decision wasn’t political. It wasn’t personal. It was about staying consistent.

Whoopi Goldberg remains one of the most accomplished entertainers of her generation. Nothing about that changes. But her story is not a New Jersey story in the way this platform is designed to honor.

And in the long run, protecting that truth matters more than expanding the list. Because this was never about removing someone.

It was about protecting what the Fame Wall stands for.

Celebrity

Southside Johnny: The Grandfather of the New Jersey Sound

Few artists capture the soul of the Garden State the way Southside Johnny does. Born John Lyon on December 4, 1948, in Neptune, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Ocean Grove, Southside Johnny’s rise from local club stages to becoming a living legend of the Jersey music scene is as authentic and storied as the very boardwalks he once played beside.

Published

1 month ago

April 6, 2026

Editor-in-Chief

Why the Jersey Shore legend earns his place on the NJ Celebrity Fame Wall

Few artists capture the soul of the Garden State the way Southside Johnny does. Born John Lyon on December 4, 1948, in Neptune, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Ocean Grove, Southside Johnny’s rise from local club stages to becoming a living legend of the Jersey music scene is as authentic and storied as the very boardwalks he once played beside.

A Jersey Born and Raised Sound

Southside Johnny didn’t just make music, he helped define what people now celebrate as the Jersey Shore sound. Emerging from the vibrant Asbury Park music scene in the 1970s, he co-founded Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, a band that blended stones-tinged rock ’n’ roll with soul, R&B, and horn-driven rhythm, a style that came to characterize the local musical identity.

The band was a staple at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, a venue that itself has become synonymous with Jersey music lore, and their early albums; like I Don’t Want to Go Home and Hearts of Stone , helped elevate the Jersey Shore sound into a wider national spotlight.

A Legacy of Influence

Southside Johnny’s influence rippled far beyond bar gigs and regional tours. He was a mentor and touchstone for future stars; Jon Bon Jovi has credited him as his “reason for singing,” and his collaborations with Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt tied the Asbury Park scene’s major talents together in a shared musical heritage.

After decades of touring, recording, and performing globally, the impact of Southside Johnny’s music reverberated not just through the Northeast but across generations of fans and artists. In recognition of his cultural contributions, he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame with the Class of 2018, an honor reflecting his deep roots in the state’s artistic legacy.

A True Jersey Icon

What makes Southside Johnny especially worthy of a place on thejerseyreview.com’s NJ Celebrity Fame Wall isn’t just his longevity or his catalog, it’s how intrinsically his story is tied to New Jersey’s identity. His music evokes the grit, soul, and rugged charm of the Shore; his journey mirrors the ups and downs of the local music scene; and his influence stretches from Asbury Park’s dive bars to arenas and concert halls around the world.

From Neptune to international stages, Southside Johnny’s sound truly is New Jersey, and that’s exactly why he belongs on the Fame Wall.

Celebrity

Rising Stars of New Jersey: Maleah Joi Moon

Published

1 month ago

April 4, 2026

Kristina Rossi

Every once in a while, someone comes along and it just clicks right away. That’s exactly what happened with Maleah Joi Moon. Born and raised in Franklin Township, New Jersey; she didn’t take the long, slow road to recognition – she stepped onto the stage and made people pay attention almost instantly.

Like a lot of Jersey artists, her story starts close to home. School plays, local performances, figuring it out as she went – nothing flashy, just putting in the work and getting better. There’s something very real about that path, and you can feel it in the way she performs. It’s not forced. It’s earned.

Then came her breakout moment as Ali in Alicia Keys’ Broadway musical Hell’s Kitchen. And it wasn’t just a “nice debut” kind of situation, she absolutely delivered. The performance had emotion, control, and confidence well beyond her years. Audiences connected with it, critics noticed, and before long she found herself holding a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Not long after that, she added a Grammy Award to her name for the show’s cast recording.

That kind of start doesn’t happen often.

What stands out most, though, isn’t just the awards, it’s how natural it all feels. She doesn’t come across like someone chasing attention. She feels like someone who belongs exactly where she is. That’s a rare quality, especially that early in a career.

And through it all, she’s still very much a Jersey story. There’s a grounded, hardworking edge there, the kind of quiet confidence you see in people who didn’t skip steps to get where they are. Franklin Township to Broadway isn’t just a headline

– it’s a reminder of how far raw talent and consistency can take you.

Maleah Joi Moon is still at the beginning of her journey, but she’s already done something most performers spend a lifetime chasing. And if this is the starting point, it’s going to be very interesting to see where she goes next.

For New Jersey, she’s not just a rising star, she’s one of those names you’re going to keep hearing more and more.